The Ronin and the Queen
by lastyearsthing
Summary: Hatake Kakashi had entered through that door many times in his long gone past. It was the same door he quietly left through six years before. Now he's returned to a changed Village and the mess he left behind. kakasaku
1. Chapter 1

The Ronin and the Queen

Chapter 1 - The Ronin Returns

This is a short story that I posted on my LJ back in November so many of you may have already read it. I wanted to put it all here in a cleaner format and fix mistakes. I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Konoha: a hidden village in the centre of the Fire Country. That was all he could call it anymore. Home was too inappropriate a word, and something that would indicate he'd be staying. Of course, there was no question that he would not be. No question at all in his mind on that account.

Smoke from chimneys and furnaces billowed up into the cold air and the scent of ramen and fresh baked bread filled his nose at the back entrance in the wall. The check-in point was just a door -- red, wooden and enterable by a rusty latch. As usual, it wasn't a problem getting to the door, but getting three steps beyond it - that was normally the delay.

Hatake Kakashi had entered through that door many times in his long gone past. It was the same door he quietly left through six years before. It was the same door where he made his peace with all his choices and walked away.

Today the door was hanging open and a pair of feet attached to slender legs covered in black armour sat propped on the rough looking doorframe. A woman's legs no doubt. A Leaf kunoichi's legs, which made them that much more appealing to the old jounin. As he stepped up to the human gate, Kakashi put a hand up to the scarf wrapped around his ubiquitous mask and made the most ridiculously fake muffled coughing sound he could muster.

"Shit," a girl's voice muttered as the feet dropped heavily to the ground. A young, red-headed kunoichi with pigtails stood up and cocked an eyebrow to see the mostly covered face looking down at her. "State your business and please have some identification ready."

Her eyes ran up and down the stranger, taking in the long dark coat, the black knit hat he had pulled down over his light hair and left eye as well as the heavy looking boots he wore. A navy blue scarf wrapped around his face almost up to his nose, but when he shifted, she could see he had a mask on underneath.

"The Hokage summoned me," Kakashi mumbled, rummaging in the pack he'd unslung from his back to produce a small black book.

"This is a convention stamp book for an Icha Icha trade show," Moegi grumbled, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, sorry," Kakashi laughed unembarrassed, taking it back and lovingly putting it away. "Here." He produced a small black folder with some papers, which the young kunoichi looked through before her wide eyes darted up to him from the words she'd had to read twice.

"Welcome back, Kakashi-senpai," she said quietly, a timid bow following. "I'm sure Hokage-sama will be so pleased to have you back." She held the papers out and bowed more respectfully when he'd taken them to tuck back away.

"Thanks, Moegi. Go back to your romance novel," he added, patting her on the head and wandering inside, adjusting the large rucksack back over his dark coat.

The young girl blushed and smiled, plopping back down and picking up the paper volume she thought she'd hidden so well, to watch him walk away.

The strong memories of each of the buildings, the large faces on the cliffside and the familiar leaf symbols on the forehead protectors of passers-by were all filled with degrees of happiness and pain for Kakashi. Some physical, some mental. Not much had changed since he'd been gone, except of course when he looked at Moegi, he could see that the children had grown up. It almost made him smile. Almost.

Trudging along, he felt the need to stop at the apartment he owned, which had sat empty over his years of wandering and information gathering for the village. Since Jiraiya's passing, a void had been left in the services, and after the war with the Akatsuki, he decided that his time had come to let the younger generation protect the village. It was the way it had always been, like when his sensei had left him to seal the Kyuubi in his own son, or when Jiraiya had chosen that career of a ronin.

For Kakashi, wandering the countries and learning more about the things he liked and disliked along the way was an interesting way of life. Perhaps that's why Jiraiya did it for so long. Often days and days would pass with no one to speak to and the solitude fickle, sometimes crushing, sometimes freeing. He'd learned he liked sake and flirtatious women, along with the odd cigarette. He'd also learned that he hated gambling – which didn't come as a great surprise.

And he'd also learned that he cared more about his three students than he'd ever thought he did. But as the years passed, and the scenery changed over and over, adding variety and surprise to every day, he began to think about them less and less, just as he thought of Obito and Rin and Minato less and less.

As Kakashi ambled further into the village, he finally came to the shabby building that housed his old desk, some random pieces of furniture and his single bed. It would be nice to sleep there again for a night or two before he'd make his way back out. He always liked that bed. His old home smelled dusty and unlived in but the plant on his windowsill was still alive and his sheets appeared to be clean.

Someone had been looking out for him, and he was pretty sure he knew who it was.

Unfortunately, he only had a little time to clean up and change because as was summoned back by the Hokage. If he didn't show up in her office….well, she knew he was typically a latecomer. What could she really do to him?

* * *

The loud clicks of the Hokage's high heels echoed down the shiny hospital hallway as she darted along her usual morning path. One orderly dropped his papers trying to get out of her way, and she gave him a fleeting glance out of the corner of her eye as she passed. What the hell was he so nervous about?

She sort of liked intimidating without even trying but never used that ability without proper reason. She'd always had that skill – especially with men. Sometimes it was a blessing, sometimes a curse. It certainly made life a little lonelier as their come-ons were always quick and to the point. Seemed that the men her age weren't for taking their time or bothering with something as integral as seduction. Probably why no one could get her into bed.

The crowd usually parted when she moved along the hallways. It was good to be the Hokage sometimes – others...not so much. But she was a good one, she believed. She was fastidious and diligent in her duties including paperwork, which many of her predecessors lacked.

"Shizune?" she called as she whipped open her office door. "I need the medical text on weed-based poisons."

A scramble met the Hokage's ears as the door slowly eased shut and she walked around her desk to plop down on the creaky wooden chair. An antique, she grumbled. She needed to get something softer with better lumbar support. It was critical for the days she was glued to the damn paperwork prison. Maybe a footrest too...

"Here it is, Hokage-sama," Shizune said casually as she dropped the large log onto the desk and dust floated up from the cover in a thick, brown cloud.

"I see this gets used a lot," the woman smirked. "Thanks, Shizune."

Shizune breathed a laugh. "I'm getting a coffee. Would you like one?"

The Hokage leaned back in her chair, hating the feel of the wooden spindles bumping against her spine from the ancient backrest. "Did we get any information on that supposed uprising yet?"

"No. But I understand one of the information gatherers you sent for is on his way back with that report. He was supposed to be here earlier today. Must be late."

The Hokage sighed. "Late, huh? Have you seen Naruto today?"

"No. I haven't seen him for two days."

With a long drawn out breath, the village leader lifted her feet to the corner of the desk and crossed them, rubbing her forehead a little and trying hard to get her mind focused on the menial and not so menial tasks ahead.

"I'd love a coffee if you're getting yourself one. Two sugars, please."

Shizune smiled and nodded. "Of course, Sakura."

The sixth Hokage, Haruno Sakura, turned her chair and stared out the window at the monument in the distance. Her own face, solemn, too young, stared back at her. Tenzou had put it there days after her inauguration six years ago. She cried the first time she saw it…and not because she was happy. Even now, she couldn't stand the sight of it. It wasn't supposed to be her up there. It was never supposed to be her.

"Sakura?" Shizune poked her head in carrying two empty mugs. "The uh…information gatherer is here."

"Send him in," Sakura muttered, dropping her feet and readjusting herself on the uncomfortable wooden chair as she added, "And he'd better have a damn good excuse for being so late when…."

"Yo," a familiar voice said from the doorway.

The loud crack of lacquered wood splintering into a thousand pieces caught them both off guard and Sakura looked down with wide green eyes at the chunk of the chair arm she'd ripped off.

"Bad time?" Kakashi asked lazily, shuffling in with his hands stuffed down in his pockets.

"Sen…sei?" she whispered, her green eyes like dinner plates, a heavy thump of wood thudding to the floor where she'd fumbled and dropped the chair arm.

Even now, years later as Hokage, Sakura still called him by that title. She was twenty-one, the most powerful leader in the five countries, and she looked at him with that lost gaze and called him teacher. It made him chuckle to himself.

Standing up, Sakura leaned forward over her desk, hands splayed between stacks of papers and scrolls, shock apparent still on her pretty face.

"Wh…where have you been?"

* * *

Sakura's hand was shaking. How long had it been since something made her nervous? Years perhaps. The wind that blew through the pillars on the top of Hokage tower seemed to go right through her short black Capri pants and long sleeved red top. But her full-length hospital coat helped a little. She raised the take-out cup of coffee to her lips as she stared out into the plethora of buildings puffing smoke from their heaters into the blue sky.

"It's cold today," Kakashi mumbled from next to her, squeezing a tight shrug of his shoulders and shivering a little. He wished to be back in his long black coat. "Would you rather talk inside?"

"No," she said quietly, enjoying the taste of the vanilla shot that she'd had the clerk at the coffee shop put in as an afterthought. Kakashi had waited patiently and silently until Sakura received her order from the fumbling young girl behind the counter, and then joined her on the short walk from the hospital to the tower. Sure she had work she should be doing, but it wasn't everyday that she got a shock in the form of Hatake Kakashi. Nothing else seemed that important at the moment.

Kakashi shoved his gloved hands into his pockets, twisting his body just a little to readjust his vest. He flexed his fingers in the black gloves, forgetting how snug they felt and how the metal guards on the top would lay on the back of his hands, cold and annoying in that sort of weather. It felt strange to be in his regular jounin fatigues again. He'd always worn the pants and the shoes, but he'd abandoned the vest for a coat, headband for a hat, and gloves for a heavy sweater that covered his palms with long sleeves.

"Six years," Sakura spoke onto the rim of the hot beverage.

"I hadn't realized it had been that long until I was summoned. You've grown up."

"I had no choice but to grow up. But I suppose I can thank you partially for that," she said so quietly, only a man like Kakashi could hear.

"Perhaps. You could have refused Hokage duty, you know," Kakashi muttered back calmly, sensing she wasn't angry, rather just more unhappy with the way things turned out.

"Like you did? It wasn't supposed to be me. It was supposed to be you, and then when Naruto was ready, it was supposed to be him. What sort of sixteen year old medic makes a good leader?" she scoffed, rubbing a tense hand over her forehead.

"Do you doubt what sort of Hokage you've been? You're strong, respected and highly intelligent. At the time, when we lost Tsunade and Naruto was incapacitated, they wanted someone who was similar to her. You were trained by her, _and_ me for that matter. Hell, you even hit like she did."

Sakura turned to him, her eyes glancing over his vest and then up to his silver hair, which looked as messy as she remembered. "They wanted you, Kakashi. You were all those things plus experience. When you refused, they were desperate to find someone like Tsunade. Naturally, I reminded everyone of her and knew the ins and outs of the office. How could I possibly say no after their first two choices were out of the running?"

Kakashi met her gaze and gave her one of his stock, exaggerated smiles. How could anyone not see Tsunade in Sakura. She even wore her hair like the woman. In intelligence, Sakura was superior and in discipline, Sakura was probably harder. The only thing she lacked was the age and the bust line.

"I'm just doing it in the interim until Naruto is ready," she said with finality though not really believing that was true anymore. "Have you seen him yet?"

"No. I came here first."

Sakura's eyes widened a little and she took a step closer so that her arm was touching his. "Please, do something for me, Kakashi-sensei. Go see him. I don't know what else to do for him anymore. He's just…lost. "

Her sudden desperation surprised him and he felt that old attachment rising to her request. But things seemed different now. Her long pink hair was styled like Tsunade's in the long loose ponytails, and standing in her high-heeled shoes, she could almost see eye to eye with him. Her round child's eyes were wary and intelligent. Six years could change so much, he thought in wonder. She was a beautiful woman and he'd always had trouble saying no to beautiful women.

"Of course, Sakura. Does he still live in the same place?" He felt no urge to pat her on the head like he'd do when she was younger. Instead he put a hand on her bicep and squeezed affectionately. The only thing that seemed off between them to be proper colleagues was that she called him Sensei. He'd have to put a stop to that soon.

"He does, but you won't find him there much. Usually he's at the memorial or in the pub."

Complete understanding gripped Kakashi.

How strange that everything repeated itself.

"When you've spoken with him, will you come back and see me?" she asked, a hint of timidity in her adult voice.

"You're the Hokage, Sakura. I can't say no."

Sakura laughed and smiled a little sadly, grabbing his sleeve and playfully tugging it. "We both know you would, Sensei. You're probably the only man in this village that could comfortably disobey me."

Kakashi breathed out a laugh, knowing it was true. He could feel her fingers acutely on his arm. It had been a long time since someone had touched him affectionately – especially a woman.

"Might be a nice change," she added quietly as an afterthought.

* * *

Moving around Konoha was nostalgic in some ways. Kakashi thought about his favourite haunts as well as visiting the odd tree where he'd carved a little something on the days he would wile away the hours with Icha Icha Paradise. But since that time, there had been no new volumes, no new storylines, and no new ridiculous dedications in the front of the book to certain women in Konoha. In so many ways, he missed Jiraiya. In a situation like this, the old Sannin would know just what to say to Naruto. Too bad Kakashi couldn't channel him.

Staring out of one of his many leaf-covered perches from his younger days, Kakashi took in the solitary blond man sitting in front of the memorial. Naruto's arms dangled lifeless over his bent knees and his head stooped, heavy with all his thoughts. Kakashi was intimate with that posture and that location. All the things running through Naruto's head had once been inside Kakashi's. He felt a kinship to the young Uzumaki at that moment.

Deciding that he'd had enough time to understand the full situation, Kakashi dropped down out of the tree and wandered over to the forlorn figure.

"Yo," he said congenially.

Naruto's blue eyes stayed trained on the memorial and he mumbled with no surprise to his tone whatsoever, "Hey, Sensei."

"I didn't surprise you?"

"I sensed you come in the gate this morning," Naruto added, rubbing a strong man-sized hand through his lengthened golden hair. Finally prying his eyes away from the gleaming black marble, he took in his old teacher and team-leader who looked exactly the same way he did when he left. It made him bark out a laugh.

"You've changed," Kakashi said quietly, shocked that he was practically staring into the face of his own former Sensei. How proud Minato would have been to see his son was his exact likeness. It might have satisfied the man's quiet vanity, he chuckled inwardly. Naruto's hair was longer, still unruly, but fitting. His bright blue eyes were still deep and innocent looking, but the down turned corners of his mouth were foreign on that face. He was a man – so different from the sixteen-year-old boy he'd last seen. His forehead was bare and his clothing would never give away that he was ever a ninja.

"You haven't changed, Sensei. Not a bit," Naruto laughed deprecatingly. "Sakura send for you? I thought you were out wandering the North Country. You know, sowing your wild oats."

"The Hokage did send for me. I had information on the northern uprising, but it doesn't seem like anything we have to worry about now. I don't think she knew I was the information gatherer when she summoned me." And he added with a scoff, "My oats are too old to sow anymore."

"That so," Naruto huffed, then turned his face back to the memorial. "Did she tell you to come and find me? I should tell you that you're about number eighteen in a long line of people she's sent. Seems to think there is something the matter. It's getting old."

"And you say there isn't anything wrong?" Kakashi entertained.

Naruto shrugged. "Not the way I see it."

"Good. That makes my job easier. Let's get ramen then. I'm hungry and all Sakura gave me was coffee." Kakashi absently patted his hard stomach.

"All right," Naruto mumbled, begrudgingly pushing himself up from the cold grass to see Kakashi briefly bow to the memorial and then turn to walk back into the village centre.

* * *

"Kakashi-san," Ayame purred over the Ichiraku counter, her father cooking behind her. "Why didn't you take me with you when you left? I would have gladly gone."

"Ah, traveling through the northern country isn't for beautiful young women. Besides, what would I have to come back to if you were there?" he responded with a cheeky grin beneath his mask.

"Still so smooth," she laughed as she reached for some noodles and flashed a smile at Naruto.

"Never pegged you as a smooth talker with the ladies, Sensei," Naruto scoffed, reaching for a paper-wrapped set of chopsticks from the glass on the counter.

"I've gained a few skills on my journey," Kakashi said evenly, watching Ayame lean over the counter and hand two bowls of ramen over. His eyes wandered to Naruto clad only in a black t-shirt and black pants, even in the cold weather. He looked thinner than Kakashi had imagined he would, but staring at a memorial for hours could do that; he knew firsthand.

"I guess you haven't learned the skill of knowing when you're wasting your time though. Tell her I'm fine and she's a good Hokage," Naruto mumbled over the bowl, poking at the egg in the centre with the end of the wooden chopstick.

"She _is_ a good Hokage, but she doesn't want to be one. I feel bad that I refused, but I don't regret it. It wasn't supposed to ever be my job, it was supposed to be yours. And I can see you're fine. You look strong and healthy to me, and I'm sure you're still working just as hard for the village as you ever were," Kakashi said evenly, unsnapping his own chopsticks. "I'm impressed that you sensed me entering at the other end when you weren't even expecting me."

"I can pinpoint where anyone in the village is at any given time. I can smell everyone, sense their chakra like different tastes on my tongue. I can feel Ayame's body heat even though she's twenty-feet away now. And if I focus, I can hear Sakura mumbling to herself up on top of Hokage tower as she watches people pass on the street. She wonders if you've found me."

"Exceptional," Kakashi reiterated. "And unsurprising considering what you could do at just sixteen. Six years can fine tune things. I was at my peak at nineteen."

"You should help Sakura, Sensei. She's the one who needs it."

"And what exactly does she need?"

"She needs to stay out of my business and get a life," Naruto half-laughed. "Oh, and she needs to get laid."

"Sorry?" Kakashi blurted out.

"The men around here are intimidated by her. I've seen her nerves coiling tighter and tighter. She can hardly stand to have any of the fun arguments we used to. Either she'll get some sex or she'll explode."

"Well, I can't think of how I could possibly help her with that," Kakashi mumbled, grabbing the top edge of his mask in preparation to eat. "Why don't you help her?"

"I can't look at her like that. Not after she slept with Sai back in the day. Unfulfilling and lacking creativity, she called him. It was an unemotional non-descript dalliance with a socially inept imbecile," he laughed out, then continued to chuckle at his own humour. "Can't see how that would be any good."

"Ah." Kakashi rolled his eyes figuring he'd have preferred not to have that information.

"I suppose she's been so busy with work, she didn't get a chance to be young. Sometimes she's like an old lady. Everything is paperwork and politics. Boring shit. The only thing she does do is get ripped drunk pretty often. But I suppose I'd get drunk too if I slept with Sai," Naruto smirked and laughed again.

Kakashi could see the reasoning in everything Naruto said. He imagined being Hokage would be like paperwork Hell and Sakura wasn't the sort of person to delegate or unload. She'd been just a girl when she took the post and never had the chance to be a wild teen like she should have been. Understandably, she would be missing some of the better pleasures in life that being young and free included.

"Sai was the only one who wasn't frightened of her strength and position because he didn't really get it. And she always felt a little sorry for him, I think. I imagine the fact that he looked like Sasuke didn't hurt either. I took that away from her as well, Kakashi. I can't replace him."

"Ah, so that's how it is. Killing Sasuke was taking something away from her? Protecting Konoha from his ill-conceived revenge was wrong? I see things clearly now."

"Don't twist it. I should have saved him." Naruto bowed a little lower over his food.

"Well, you couldn't actually. If it were remotely possible, then you would have."

Naruto turned his head and stared at Kakashi.

"Am I wrong?" Kakashi asked.

"I didn't know how to save him. I wasn't smart enough to figure it out. Everything went wrong. I can still hear Sakura sobbing over him. She never blamed me, Kakashi. I don't understand how she could never blame me. Ever since he left, we promised each other to get strong and to get him back. It was my biggest failure to her and to him."

"How do you see it as a failure?" Kakashi asked, turning fully on his stool to stare at Naruto who seemed to be fixated on something on the counter he was scratching at. "I would have thought that ignoring your duty to become Hokage and letting your best friend fill in is more of a failure."

"Sasuke's dead, Kakashi. What else in my life matters after that?"

"The way I see it, he was going to end up dead either way. But instead of being Konoha's betrayer, his name is on the memorial that you slump in front of everyday. For Sasuke, that was the only success he would be afforded after his deeds. It seems to me like you gave him something he could have never achieved on his own."

"So you didn't believe in me? You felt he was always dead?"

"Yeah, Naruto. I knew it the moment he left when you were kids. It was his goal to die. He chose the wrong way to follow his own plans by turning his back on us. We all would have helped him achieve what he wanted, but he didn't trust us to be there for him. In the end, he returned with the intent of killing our countrymen. You did what a Hokage would do. You made a decision that was right, but would be the hardest thing you'd ever have to do in your life. Just like your father did when you were born. Just like Tsunade did when she gave her life and trusted us to carry on after her." Kakashi pulled down his mask and finally took a bite of the familiar steaming meal that he'd forgotten he loved so much.

For a long time, Naruto was silent, poking at the food, his eyes glancing over everything and nothing.

Kakashi smiled as he pulled his mask back up. At least the man was thinking. For now, that was a good start.

* * *

There is only 2 more chapters. I'm just fixing them. I should have the next one up tomorrow and the rest up the day after.

Leafy.


	2. Age and Moderation

Ronin and the Queen

Chapter 2: Age and Moderation

* * *

It was getting late and Kakashi was fatigued. He'd travelled for days to get to the hidden village and was exhausted from the exchanges with his two former students. But Naruto's state did concern him and, as far as Sakura's situation went, he felt he had a hand in that too. But if he had said yes to becoming Hokage, he would have lived a life of regret. He wasn't the sort of man to be tied to a desk and deal with bureaucrats on a daily basis.

No, he was never suited for it and figured Sakura would do well, but obviously she wasn't any happier than he would have been. Sadly, she stepped up to the plate and did her duty out of loyalty to her kinsmen, to Naruto, and probably in some misguided way, to him.

"Hey, Hatake!" Genma's familiar voice shouted out from down the street. "You asshole! How long have you been back?"

"Just this morning," Kakashi mumbled with veiled disappointment, seeing his quiet night getting further and further out of his reach. "Just going home."

"Like Hell. It's been years. Come and have a drink."

_Obligation, you are the devil_,Kakashi thought ruefully, changing his direction slowly to follow the man chewing on the ever-present senbon. It was a wonder that Genma hadn't cracked all his teeth out over time.

They entered the nearby pub to find it half-full and not too noisy. At least there was that. Kakashi joined Genma at the bar and when the bartender asked what they wanted, Kakashi asked for warm sake.

"Thought you didn't drink, Health Nut." Genma's brow was creased.

"I don't," Kakashi smirked, then tugged down his mask and drank the warm strong sake down before pulling it back up again.

"Hey, Shizune is here with the Hokage again," Genma said happily, spotting the medic at a corner booth with Sakura. "My lucky night!"

"Shit," Kakashi muttered, seeing Sakura's pink cheeks and red nose as she took another drink. "Is she hammered?"

"The Hokage or Shizune? They probably both are. Sakura can drink pretty heavily now. I see her in here often. Why don't we go join them?"

Reluctantly, Kakashi agreed and followed Genma to the table where Sakura's glassy green eyes looked up at him. "Oh, Kanashi….snit down."

"Wow," Genma mumbled. "That almost made sense."

"Have about twenty more and it will," Shizune laughed.

Taking a deep breath and grumbling to himself, Kakashi slid into the booth beside Sakura to find her head instantly on his shoulder. "You okay?" he asked her because he didn't know what else to say.

"How's Nooto," she breathed out, blinking her eyes slowly while looking up at him from his shoulder.

"If I tell you, will you remember?"

"Pobly not," she answered, wrapping an arm around his and hugging it close. "Tay me hum, willa, Kanashi?"

"She wants you to take her home," Shizune translated with a pleading look. Obvious to Kakashi, Shizune had probably done the honours on more than one occasion and most likely many times before with the fifth Hokage. For Shizune, it would be like having the same boss forever.

"All right. Let's go," Kakashi sighed in defeat. _It's only another day or two and then you can go_, he told himself. Once Naruto was on a better path and Sakura was satisfied she might get to give up the post one day, he could leave and not return for another six years, or ten, or never.

Standing up beside the booth, Kakashi helped the Hokage out and held her arm tightly as she worked to right herself on her high heels. With as much dignity as possible, they walked out into the cool night.

"Oh, I drink too mush," Sakura slurred noisily, letting her head fall on Kakashi's shoulder. "But fills great."

"I'm sure it does," Kakashi laughed, impressed with himself that he was understanding her despite her declining articulation skills due to her lazy tongue. "Where do you live?"

"Hokage house," she mumbled. "Hey Kashi? Lez go on mission!"

"What?"

"Mission. Lez fight and run through trees. I miszit."

Kakashi looked down at her as she leaned heavily on his side, her eyes closing and then opening, her feet unsteady, tugging him left every few steps.

"I suppose you don't get out much," he said in response to her intoxicated attempt at their common language.

"Nope," she exaggerated. "Like now's bout it."

The rest of the short walk was in silence until they came to the large one floor residence with a pagoda roof and a wrap around porch. He helped her up the two steps and when she slumped against the wall and began to slide down, he picked her up and carried her into the large spacious home, her heavy head tucked comfortably against his throat.

For as long as he could remember, Hokage lived in that residence. How many times he'd gone to see Minato there or sat on the porch and waited for the day's training to commence was beyond count. It seemed almost every minute of his return was filled with a walk into his past. And he wasn't quite sure how he felt about that.

Carrying her into the bedroom, he placed her feet onto the floor and helped her to tug off her long white jacket.

"Sit down and I'll get your shoes," he said to her as she slumped forward onto his chest.

"You smell nize," Sakura whispered, breathing slowly and deeply. "Mm, warm too."

"Thanks," he responded. "Now sit down."

Her arms went up around his neck clumsily as she hung on him a little. "Why don't you make me," she dared and it was the first time she sounded really intelligible.

Kakashi's eyebrow rose and he fought outright laughter. She'd forgotten whom she was talking to.

Grabbing her wrists, he clamped them both with one hand and nudged the back of her knee with his own, making her legs give out. She plopped onto the edge of the bed, her mouth open in intoxicated indignation.

Dropping to a squat in front of her, Kakashi lifted one foot up, slipped off her shoe, then lifted the other and repeated the action. Sakura still looked shocked when he looked up at her.

"Now, be a good little girl and get to bed."

"Make me," she growled and Kakashi shook his head. Now it was just a game.

Grabbing her wrists again, he pulled her arms out to her sides and slipping a knee on the bed beside her, he forced her backwards a little roughly as she gave some resistance, but she fell back onto the bed anyway. For a few moments he held her there, hovering above her and not letting go, swinging a leg over to straddle her.

She let out a startled breathy sound as she gazed up at him. Her eyes half closed, but it wasn't anger he saw there.

"Anything else I can help you with?" he asked matter-of-factly.

"Clothes," she whispered sultrily, forcing her eyes open amid slow blinks. "Mine…and yours."

Kakashi felt his stomach tighten at the invitation. A flash of him actually sliding her shirt from her strong, tight body to expose supple breasts ran through his head and it tempted him more than it should have given their history. It grew into a picture of them writhing on her bed in the dirtiest of ways and he was a little aroused. He'd had to admit she'd grown up strong and beautiful, but she was too drunk to really know what she was saying and he'd been alone for so long, he worried he was a little desperate to give in.

Naruto was right. She was tightly wound like a watch spring and had no outlet. Men would be intimidated by her strength and position, either getting drunk and blurting out a proposition or just too scared to approach her. What a double-edged sword. He almost felt sorry for her.

"Because you won't remember this, I'll say that I'd be happy to strip you naked, Sakura. I imagine you'd really enjoy all the things I'd do to you, but I think I'd enjoy it more if you didn't pass out under me. If you remember this tomorrow, we'll try it when you're sober. If you don't, too bad for both of us."

"Wha…hn?" she breathed out as he got up to get off her and stood at the end of the bed. For a second she lay still, staring at the ceiling, and then a hand came up slowly and rubbed at her face roughly before she rolled over and the first loud snore bounced off the walls.

Kakashi laughed. She wouldn't remember. But he would and perhaps tomorrow it would be harder to look at her without stripping her in his head. It really did indicate that the sooner he left, the better.

* * *

Waking around nine a.m., Kakashi rolled over in his bed and stared at the clock in the darkened room. He'd forgotten how well worn in and comfortable the little single mattress was and could still smell the fabric softener in the sheets. He'd forgotten to ask Sakura if she'd been having them changed and his plant watered. Besides her, the only other person might be Naruto that would bother. But he seemed pretty preoccupied with his self-loathing so undoubtedly it must be she.

Dragging himself into a scalding hot shower to let the sweat from his long night slide from his body, Kakashi thought about just picking up and leaving. He'd made his report and that was all there was to his duty, right?

"Don't fool yourself, Kakashi," he heard Obito chide in his head.

He supposed he still wanted to see if Sakura remembered her rapid drunken attempt to seduce him and he was finding the adult version of her mildly interesting.

Getting dried off and dressed in a fresh uniform, Kakashi slipped on all his standard gear and decided to make a quick trip to the memorial for Obito and Rin. If Naruto was there, he could kill two birds with one stone.

The sun was out, and the breeze was cool, but much calmer than the day before. It seemed the long black sleeves and vest were enough and he was grateful he didn't bring the black coat after debating over it before he left.

The memorial was only a five minute walk from his meagre apartment, so Kakashi took his time, grabbing a small offering on the way. But when he reached one of his favourite trees, he found that his time at the memorial would have to wait.

Naruto was there, as was to be expected, but he was not alone. Recovering miraculously fast from any sort of hangover, Sakura had joined him. He sat the same prostrate way he sat the day before, but today the young Hokage sat behind him with her legs against his and her front pressed against his back. Her long shapely arms were wrapped around his stomach and her head lay between his shoulder blades.

"Do you want to try a mission today?" she asked gently, her eyes closed.

Naruto's head rose a little and his eyes flicked in Kakashi's direction before he looked down at the hands clasped together at his stomach.

"Sakura? Why don't you blame me for Sasuke's death?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi could see Sakura's head slowly rise and her frightened green eyes open to stare at the messy tufts of blond hair at the back of Naruto's head. His question had obviously shocked her, and it seemed painfully true that they had never properly broached the subject before.

"I told you before that I didn't." Her eyes narrowed as if the idea she could think that about him made her angry.

"But _why _don't you? It was my hand he died by," Naruto whispered.

"Was it really? I don't think it was, Naruto. It was his own, and Itachi's and Orochimaru's and Madara's. He was manipulated by so many people that he probably couldn't even tell what side he was on in the end. If he could have been saved by any means, he would have. That day that I saw him come in the village, all I could see was hate in his dark unfamiliar eyes. He wasn't our Sasuke anymore. He'd left us so long before, I think we'd kept him the boy that was on our team in our minds and that picture didn't change for us. The man that you killed that day was not who we always thought he was. No one, I promise you, ever blamed you for doing the right thing. You took on the awful burden you still carry and you didn't deserve one minute of it. I wish I could take it for you. I didn't lose him that day, I lost you."

Kakashi watched her wipe at a tear quickly and then lie her head back down on his back, her long ponytails cascading along her thick black cardigan.

"You sound like Kakashi," Naruto huffed with a laugh.

"Do I?" she laughed shyly. "That's too bad. I always thought that guy was full of shit."

"He'll hear you," Naruto chuckled.

"He's probably still lying in his bed. And if he does, I don't care. He's going to leave again soon anyway."

Naruto put his hands on her hands and his eyes flicked in Kakashi's direction again. "It was a shock to see him but the bastard doesn't look any different, does he."

Sakura shrugged against him. "He looks a little different to me, I guess. I wish he'd stay. There's something comforting about having him back. I think I missed him more than I realized."

"You could order him to stay, you know," Naruto snorted, finding his own amusement in knowing Kakashi was still listening.

"I'd love to but he won't. I asked him to come and see me last night and he totally ignored that request. I probably couldn't even order that guy to ignore my orders. He'd start listening just to spite me." She huffed out an exaggerated breath.

"Let's get some ramen, Sakura. I'm hungry," Naruto added shuffling his body a little to show his intention.

Kakashi could see the surprise in Sakura's face when he'd made the suggestion. Obviously it was a change in the routine and was something else promising. What he also noticed was that she was unaware she'd seen him at all the night before and he supposed he was a little disappointed.

* * *

Sakura sat at her desk pouring over more records and meeting minutes, hoping to get at least one pile off her desk by the time Shizune poked her head in and warned her that she was overworking and should leave. Usually she could get another two hours of work in before her loyal assistant became rabid.

The door creaked a little and Sakura mumbled to the papers, "I know, I know, it's late. I'll leave soon."

"Is it? I thought it was still early," Kakashi's calm voice said from the doorway.

"Oh, it's you," Sakura mumbled under her breath as she looked back down at her papers.

"What a lovely greeting, Hokage-sama. I'm pleased to see you too," he replied sweetly.

"You were supposed to see me yesterday after speaking with Naruto…" she reprimanded coolly, but then her face lost a bit of intensity as she glanced up at him. "You spoke with him, didn't you. He seemed different today."

"I spoke with him. He's holding a lot of blame, but I think he's willing to let it go. He just needs to hear the right things a few more times."

"Today, he asked me why I didn't blame him. I've told him before. He said I sounded like you, you know. Maybe he just needed to hear it confirmed by someone he looked up to. I think in some twisted way he looked at you and Jiraiya as father figures."

Kakashi nodded, but then focused on her pretty face as she smiled expectantly at him. "I'm really glad you came back. But I guess you'll be thinking about leaving again soon, right?"

"I was," he responded honestly.

"Is there anything I can do to make you stay for a while?" Her smile dropped away.

Inner Kakashi began stripping her with his eyes again. "I'll see if I can come up with something. I don't suppose _you_ have any ideas? I mean, because you're sober and we're alone."

"What?" she said with narrowed eyes.

"Just double checking. If I think of something I'll let you know. And I'll inform you before I set off again. Sound fair…Hokage-sama?" Kakashi said evenly, his visible eyebrow cocked.

"I suppose…" she responded with some suspicion but seemed to give up quickly. "Well, since you aren't leaving right now…did you want to get a drink with me?"

Kakashi tipped his head and regarded the way she picked at the button on her cardigan as she asked. Her eyes were moving from the window to his face, then down to her restless fingers. A demure smile crept across her pink lips.

She was flirting with him. Whether she knew it or not, she was attracted to him and was doing all those little tells women did when they wanted some attention. It was an interesting development and it appeared she was seeing him as a man now. He realized there was a definitive lack of her addressing him as Sensei as well.

Kakashi wanted to smile widely in amusement but managed to refrain. It appeared that she was attracted to him drunk and sober. He imagined they probably had that in common, but hadn't tested the theory with him drunk yet.

A very interesting development indeed.

"I have to pass tonight, Sakura. But ask me again tomorrow."

* * *

A second morning in Konoha dawned and Kakashi stared at the clock that read 8:30 AM. He'd been in the village one night more than he'd really planned to and knew that there would be at least one more after that. But three was the absolute limit, he told himself. Wrap up the problems and get out of Dodge, his inner voice encouraged. But of course, that was easier said than done.

He did his reacquired routine of a quick, burning hot shower and breakfast, followed by the trip to the memorial. Of course, Naruto was there again though alone as he was the first time. But today, he was lying on his back and staring up at the clouds as the sunshine bathed his black clothes in heated rays instead of staring at the carved names.

"Yo, Sensei," he laughed, beating Kakashi to the punch.

"Morning," Kakashi half-yawned back. "Looks like you've found a good way to occupy your time. Is that a rabbit?" He pointed to one of the fluffy white monoliths dancing across the sky.

Naruto rolled onto his side and rubbed a closed bright blue eye before grinning. "Can't really think of a better way to waste a day, Sensei."

"I'm feeling a little rusty. How bout a good spar?" Kakashi tempted and watched Naruto's face fall a little.

"I don't spar much anymore."

"Perfect. Then I can kick your ass a little more easily. You never could beat me, anyway." Kakashi placed a hand on his own shoulder and worked at it roughly finding he must have slept funny on it. "I'll see if that little girl from the gate guard is around."

"Funny," Naruto groaned. "All right, Sensei. I'm wise to what you're doing, but let's get it over with. I imagine you have some unwritten agenda that you have to check off before you leave again so let's get one more checkmark in the margin."

"That's the spirit," Kakashi said dryly.

* * *

The training fields were well maintained and from where they stood they could hear the metallic clang of weapons and shouts of other people in the area. Occasional laughs broke out as well as groans of pain and shrieks of aggression. It was another thing that reminded Kakashi of his younger days – though the memories that came to mind were the ones of his only genin team arguing amongst themselves.

"How about we keep the chakra out of it. Let's have a nice tai-jutsu spar," Naruto dictated, unzipping his black jacket and tossing it down on a large boulder at the edge of the grassy field.

"Sounds fine," Kakashi agreed, shrugging off his own vest to throw onto the grass.

"You don't have any bells in your pants do you, Sensei?" Naruto teased.

"None that jingle," Kakashi mumbled, working his hands snugly into his gloves with a pull on the edge of the black leather. "Why don't we get started?"

"Fair enough," Naruto growled as he ran at Kakashi with speed faster than the copy-nin was used to seeing in a regular tai-jutsu fight. With no chakra behind him, Naruto almost resembled his father in speed. And when the first blow came and Kakashi blocked it with a leg-guard, he felt the metal crack painfully against his shin.

He ducked the next swing of a right, but a roundhouse caught Kakashi in the shoulder and toppled him to the ground heavily. He rubbed at what felt like a hairline fracture in his arm, but stood back up as quickly as possible, hiding the injury. Amazing, he thought. Since the Yondaime, Kakashi had not seen such power or such skill.

"Ready, Sensei?" Naruto asked with a little concern.

Kakashi nodded once, then zipped forward, taking a first swing at Naruto's side to find he dodged it and countered with a kick to the side that Kakashi felt graze his shirt edge as he leapt backwards. Clearly, the older jounin was at a disadvantage. It seemed Naruto's skills had managed to increase exponentially though he sat in front of the memorial, day after day. Even his wiry frame held immense strength.

For another few minutes, they continued to fight. Naruto landed some more blows, but Kakashi felt that his old student had taken some strength out of them. Kakashi would normally scold him, but felt a little relieved that he might not have to crawl to the hospital and get someone to heal him just from sparring.

He'd managed to bloody Naruto's nose with a kick, but almost immediately after the hit and the first spurt of blood, the surge stopped and the swelling faded as if it never happened.

"I think we'll stop there." Kakashi held up a hand as he leaned over to catch his breath. His shoulder throbbed painfully and he felt the lack of movement in the joint. Had they gone on longer, Naruto might have turned him into a squishy paste with just his quick fists. Impressive. Truly impressive.

"You okay, Sensei?" Naruto inquired nervously.

"Yep. Just old bones creaking, that's all. How about some ramen? I'll treat." Kakashi didn't like the obvious strain in his own voice and how breathy he sounded, but inwardly, he was happy to see Naruto still had all the necessary pieces to take on the role of Hokage. Now he just needed the reason and desire.

"I think maybe we should take you to the hospital. I heard the crack when I hit your shoulder. You must be in some pain."

Kakashi laughed weakly and then shook his head. "I hate hospitals."

* * *

"You must be insane to spar with him," Sakura scolded as she pressed her warm hands against Kakashi's bare shoulder. She'd made him take his arm out of his shirt, which turned out to be the worst possible movement to make with his sort of injury. But it wasn't in him to wince in front of a former student, a medic, or an attractive woman. Since she was all three, he couldn't even flinch.

"I've been accused of being that, yes," Kakashi said matter-of-factly. "But the testing was inconclusive."

"Funny," she grumbled, closing her eyes to concentrate. "I don't remember the last time he sparred, Kakashi. Did he seem to enjoy it?"

"I think he was worried about cracking me in half some of the time, but I think for the most part he rose to it."

Sakura's heated fingertips pressed into spots on his skin as her chakra slid in and out through his muscles and bones, mending them and dulling the pain. It tickled slightly and Kakashi could feel it joining with his chakra, using it to mend him, twining the power and filling him with an enjoyable comfort.

"That's better. You damaged the rotator cuff and had a fracture in your collarbone," she said professionally. Opening her eyes, she stared into his one exposed one. "Lie down please."

"Is that necessary?"

"Why do you always question me? I said lie down," she hissed softly, trying to keep the smile on her face.

"Okay, Okay," Kakashi placated, spinning on the hospital cot and lying down on the cool, sterile smelling sheet between his body and the vinyl surface of the bed.

Her fingers went back to his arm again and the chakra slid into the shoulder giving it an extra burst of cool painkiller that washed through and made him sigh softly.

"Feels good, hm?" she said softly.

"Hm," he answered quietly, his eyes closed as she ran her fingers along his bicep gently, her fingertips warm as they pressed in her energy.

"I'm just checking the rest of the area. Is there anywhere else that hurts?"

"Uh, yeah. My shin is sore."

Slowly, Sakura continued to run her fingers long his skin, pressing here and there, following the natural curve of his muscles with such gentleness that he shivered once or twice. To Kakashi, the room became quiet and still. Her hands traced down his forearm slowly before she took his hand in hers and traced the inside of his palm with a fingertip.

Kakashi's eyes remained closed and he felt a little too relaxed, almost sleepy. A finger traced in a circle around his palm, then slid down each finger slowly, pausing at each knuckle and joint to spread the warm dull tingle everywhere. She went to the next finger, leaving sensations that remained long after her finger had moved on. After turning his hand over, Sakura traced again from his fingernail back to his knuckle.

"Does this hurt?" she whispered, focusing on his baby finger.

"Not really," he answered just as quietly.

A burst of chakra shot through his little finger making the hair on his arms stand up as if he had been electrified by something that felt entirely too good.

"Left leg or right?" she asked quietly, carefully putting his hand back down on the bed and moving down.

"Left," he answered, feeling a sudden anticipation that she was going to do more wonderful things to him.

With the deliberate gentleness that only exceptional medics had, Kakashi felt Sakura roll up his pant leg and place her talented fingertips on his knee. A jolt of chakra scoped through it, dancing among the bone and meniscus, fixing what he knew was probably a tear. Again, her fingers caressed him gently as they moved over the skin, pushing her perfect energy through his muscles and bone to fix all the things in there that had ached over the years as well as his newly acquired injury. Tingles followed her fingers as they maneuvered in lines down his calf and shin, and circling his ankle before she stopped and just held it.

"Anywhere else?"

Kakashi opened his eyes and looked at her flushed face. He knew using her chakra so deeply was probably an effort. "Just my right side a little."

Sakura nodded, her face calm and straight as she stayed completely businesslike doing her favourite sort of work. Kakashi wondered vaguely how often she got to come and do actual healing anymore.

"Here?" she breathed out, dragging his shirt up his firm abdomen and letting the fingers of her other hand trace along his skin behind it so slowly it felt overtly sexual to the copy-nin.

Kakashi closed his eyes again as just the feel of a woman's hand on his body brought out more than just an awareness of being touched. His entire focus was centralized on the point where her fingers met his skin. Again she delved her chakra into his body, streams of it pressing pleasurable sensations through his abdomen and reaching all the way up to his chest.

When the tickling pleasure reached into his lower abdomen, he couldn't stand it anymore.

"That's fine, Sakura," Kakashi said a little too quickly as he sat up and grabbed her wrist. It was too much, too close. The last thing he wanted was to get aroused in front of her. He'd never be able to look her in the face again.

"I just wanted to check your hip, Kakashi. I felt some damage near it."

_Oh God no_, he thought to himself as he realized what it would be like to have her pushing that fantastic sensation into his body in that region. "I feel great, Sakura. Thanks. I really should be going."

He looked up at her pink cheeks and the tiny bit of beaded sweat on her brow and upper lip. She licked her dry lips and tried to smile a little as her eyes kept drifting to where he slid his arm back into his shirt before he pulled it back down over his stomach. He sat on the cot and pulled his leg up to unroll his pants back down.

"I haven't done any healing in a while. I didn't hurt you, did I?" she asked as she drew so near to him that her hip was against his knee.

"No. It felt grea…okay, it felt okay…" Kakashi mumbled, finding her sweet aroma overpowering as was the scent of something else underneath. _Oh shit_, his inner self exclaimed as he realized that what he was picking up was her arousal. That heady, delicious scent that mingled with her exotic perfume was an invitation nearly impossible to resist.

"Thanks again for everything you're doing for Naruto. I think he's changing a little. He's been that same way so long that even a small change is so noticeable. I really wish I had some way to repay you for your effort," she said quietly, her intense gaze boring into him. "And I wish I had a way to make you stay a little longer."

"He's coming around, Sakura. And…I could probably…stay for a day or two longer…" Kakashi responded, practically drowning in the reeling desire she was steeped in. It was all he could do to not take her on the cot right there in the hospital room. "I…I really need to leave."

Sliding off the bed and taking a step away from her, he ran a tense hand through his unruly hair. "I'll ah…"

"Drink tonight?" she interjected before he could make his excuses or blow her off. "You told me to ask you today. I wouldn't mind hearing about your travels in the North Country and I don't think I got that report on the uprising."

"It was more like two guys and a sign than an uprising. But I did say that…" Kakashi replied cautiously. "All right, Sakura. One drink can't hurt."

* * *


	3. A Change in the Plan

The Ronin and the Queen

Chapter 3 – A Change in the Plan

* * *

Naruto happened to catch Sakura coming out of the hospital as she wandered with that same Hokage confidence she had acquired the first year she did the job. He liked that strong, ass-kicking attitude she had and it was supported well by her position as leader. But Kakashi was right. He'd seen the lack of joy in her face and how the loneliness of the job got to her. He supposed since he was finally looking at something other than Sasuke's carved name everyday, he was seeing things he should have noticed long ago.

Tsunade sometimes had that same look, but it was different from Sakura's. Tsunade had experienced love and life in her wild younger days. Her deep, tired gaze was one of loss and remembrance. Sakura's was the joyless listlessness of meandering through days and not having those memories to look back on. She'd never had the chance to make any.

"Hey Sakura-chan," Naruto shouted as her high-heeled shoes carried her by.

"Oh, hey!" She lit up and Naruto loved to see that. Sometimes he'd surprise her just to get that excited response.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" he laughed, joining her as she began walking again. She slipped her arm into his and squeezed tightly.

"Just home to change."

"Hot date tonight?"

"Hot? No. Date? No. Drinks with Kakashi. I don't know what to call it," she half-laughed and shook her head.

"Your skin just went up a couple of degrees when you mentioned him and you have that smell," he noted suspiciously.

"What smell?!" she shouted, stopping in her tracks, her wide eyes staring up at his creased blue ones.

"That pheromony excited smell. Are you going to sleep with him?" Naruto asked, trying not to laugh as she started walking and tugging him along as well.

"What? No…No! Why on earth would you…?"

"I can smell him on you as well. What have you two been up to?" He stifled a laugh but she heard it.

"I was healing all the spots you broke on him. I can't believe you broke our old Sensei," she snorted.

"I can't believe you're going to have sex with our old Sensei," he added slyly. "I guess you might break him too."

"I didn't say!"

"Listen, I'm kidding. But hell, if he takes off his clothes and doesn't look like an old man, you should go for it. A big toe-curling orgasm is good for stress relief and you look like you need one."

"I know that!" she growled. "I mean…that they are good for stress…relief…"

"Yeah, well I actually meant an orgasm someone else gives you," Naruto snickered and felt the business end of her palm across the back of his head.

"I don't have time for this sort of stupid argument. I'm not going to sleep with Kakashi and I need to get cleaned up and have some dinner before I meet him. He's giving me a report on the North Country. Nothing else." She slid her arm out from his and hurried on.

Naruto's feet slowed as she huffed on ahead and he watched her quick steps until she stopped and turned around. "Hey, I've missed you and this, you know. Come and see me again soon, okay?"

"How 'bout I stop by the office tomorrow and we have lunch?"

Sakura's eyes widened. Since that day his rasengan blasted through Sasuke's body, Naruto refused to step foot in Hokage tower. In her chest, her heart pounded hard and she fought shouting how happy she was to him. "Okay," she said softly.

"Calm down, Haruno. I just said lunch. Get your sex from the old Sensei. He might have a thing or two he still wants to teach you," Naruto chuckled before darting away.

"You'd better run!" Sakura shouted, but couldn't contain the happiness she felt that he was coming around. For months and months she felt there would never be an end to it and there he was, seemingly taking new steps forward each day. If only Kakashi knew what he had done for him… and for her.

* * *

When Sakura reached the Hokage House carrying a grocery bag and a bottle of wine from the liquor store, she was shocked to find Kakashi sitting on the porch reading a really beaten up copy of Icha Icha Paradise while leaning against one of the supporting posts.

"This is a surprise," she said warily.

"I'm sorry, Sakura," Kakashi said while snapping the book shut, standing up and approaching her. "Genma and Raido asked me to help with a small mission tonight and I felt like I couldn't say no."

Sakura sucked in a long deep breath and let it out slowly. Maybe, just maybe, Naruto's words about toe-curling orgasms and sleeping with Kakashi had gotten to her as the enormity of her expectation was clear when she felt the crushing disappointment that he was blowing her off.

"I understand. Comrades, Village, self, right Kakashi? We can maybe make it for a drink in the next six years when you come back," she said with clear sarcasm.

"Hokage is in there too, don't forget," he added simply.

"When is your mission?"

"In two hours."

"I'm just getting ready to make some dinner. Hungry?"

Kakashi weighed the danger of stepping inside her apartment while the evening sun was still in the orange sky and they were both sober. After a fast moment of contemplation, he felt impending misconduct would be to a minimum in such circumstances.

And a home cooked meal did sound appealing…

"I actually am, Sakura. Thanks," he said happily, giving her his stock super-grin that he usually reserved for effective mood lightening. Taking the last couple of steps to meet her, he took the grocery bag and walked her into the house.

Seeing the old residence of his former sensei in the light was something filled with memories of his younger days. He could remember Obito sitting on the floor and Rin staring dreamily while they waited for Minato to kiss Kushina goodbye. The pair was fairly randy and Kakashi could only appreciate how in love they were now as he looked back. Their kisses were deep and meaningful, filled with the idea that it might be the last time they saw each other.

_Depressing,_ Kakashi thought, rubbing at his temple as he set the bag down on the shiny granite countertop in the posh updated kitchen. The wooden cupboards looked new and the accents gleamed in polished nickel.

The sounds of pots and pans clanging and drawers banging brought Kakashi back to present time to see Sakura bent over and searching through a low cabinet for whatever she needed. She stood up and cracked her back. "Damn. Where did I put that stupid…?"

"Long day?"

"Yeah, I suppose," she breathed out, leaning on the counter. "You like fish, don't you?"

"I feel bad for cancelling our plans so let me cook," Kakashi said calmly, wandering around the large island that separated them to put his hands on her shoulders and steer her toward a stool. "Don't worry. I'm good at it."

"Well…uh…"

"How about I make some…" Kakashi rummaged the cupboards and refrigerator then looked back at her. "Eggs?"

Sakura snorted. "Sounds great, Chef."

The mood was comfortable and Sakura took a few minutes to pour out a glass of wine as Kakashi began mixing things and cutting up vegetables. They chatted about his days in the Northern Country and she laughed when he described some of the dives he'd stayed at and some of the people he'd met.

Sakura had a million questions and Kakashi realized that aside from the few away missions they'd been on when she was a girl, as Hokage, she had mostly stayed within the safe confines of the village. It made him feel bad for her because he could still see that wide-eyed curiosity along with excitement about what may be beyond the small bit of world she'd seen.

"So, Kakashi? How do you plan to eat with that mask on?" Sakura finally broached the subject, watching him stir the eggs with a wooden spatula.

"Actually, I had wondered if you were going to use your status to make me remove it," he chuckled a little.

"I never thought of that. Not very sporting I suppose, or fair on your part, but hell, if it works…" she said with wide eyes. "I'm ordering you to take that mask off."

Kakashi slowly lifted his hand to his nose and nudged the material down a little before he paused. "That would work, except we had established that I'm the only man that would disobey you, right? So, best to keep things consistent."

"Bastard," she grumbled with a hint of a grin, then sipped some wine. "Well fine. I'll just eat in front of you." She shrugged as he doled out two plates. He slid one in front of where she sat, and carried the other to the place in front of the stool right beside her.

"That's not very nice."

Sakura used her chopsticks to lift a morsel, purposely turning to face him. Slowly, she popped it into her mouth and closed her eyes. "Mmm, that is sooooo good, Kakashi."

Stonefaced, Kakashi just watched her.

She took another bite. "Ohhhh yes, that is amazing. It melts on my tongue. You don't know what you're missing."

His throat felt a little dry. She was just talking about the food, right? There wasn't anything sexual about eggs was there? It was a little hard to differentiate between pure enjoyment of the food and the desire-filled sounds she was making.

"Mmm, oh yes, that is fantastic," she whispered. "How did you learn to do that?"

For a second, her last inference seemed to hang in the air like thick, hot smoke. He knew what she was doing and damn it all, it was working. That sexual mixture of smells was drifting around her again and he felt the need to do something about it.

"Is it that good?" he whispered back, leaning toward her, his fingers back on the nose of his mask. "What does it taste like?"

Sakura's eyes widened as she stared at the place where his fingers dipped into the black fabric, tugging slowly. Nearer and nearer he drew, until he was hovering just inches away.

"It tastes…s…salty…and…"

"And?" he added, pulling the mask a little more to reveal his nose.

She gasped softly, trying to get some words out as he revealed his top lip, her green eyes fixed on him as he drew closer and closer.

"H…hot…"

Kakashi pulled the mask all the way to his chin and then whispered onto her lips, "Just the way I like it." Then without warning, he sat up straight and scooped a large chunk of his eggs into his mouth. "Yeah, you're right!" he said with a full mouth and an overly large smile.

"You're…so… cruel," she breathed out, her hand on her chest as she stared at his face. "I never really thought you'd show me."

"You're the Hokage, and you ordered me to."

Sakura's brow creased and she looked back down to her plate. "I see. I guess that's the way it should be."

He could hear the disappointment in her voice. Obviously she loved that he disobeyed her.

"I'm afraid my time is up, Sakura," Kakashi muttered, looking up at the clock. "I'll catch up with you tomorrow, all right?"

"Sure," she answered a little despondently. "Be careful on your mission."

"Aren't I always?" He grinned widely and for the first time, Sakura could believe that it would be so easy to just spend a night with him purely for the sake of the memory she'd have. Handsome didn't begin to describe him. But by the fact that they were so close to pay dirt and he opted for eggs instead of her mouth, he probably wasn't into it.

The front door clicked shut as he left as simply as that. One minute he was there being the most pleasant and charming company she'd had in ages, then the next, he was on his way. That's what Hatake Kakashi was like. Six years ago he just walked out of their lives, not even bothering to say goodbye. It almost made her angry, but knowing that he would just do it again at any moment filled her with a small grief that she didn't quite fully comprehend.

* * *

"This coffee is strong," Naruto mumbled, twisting and turning the cup as if examining some experiment at the bottom.

"Then don't drink it," Sakura grumbled back, her chin on her hand while busy checking mission reports between the piles of papers on her desk.

"How do you stand all that paperwork?" Naruto asked keenly, leaning forward from the edge of the comfortable chair on the other side of her desk.

"Well, as you might have observed, I go to the pub many evenings and drink myself to oblivion which ensures a good night's sleep so I can get up and do it again in the morning." She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead tersely.

Naruto snickered. "You are unusually prickly this morning. Let me guess. Kakashi was a minute man? Bad in bed? Wait, he has a little…oh no, I've seen that. Was he inattentive, gay, a breast man?"

"I didn't have sex with him, idiot. I swear that is all you think about," she hissed, tossing a chunk of an eraser at him, which he easily caught. "And my breasts are fantastic," she said under her breath.

"I don't have any problem keeping my bed warm, Sakura, and it's healthy to think about sex. It's human nature. And if I was Hokage, I wouldn't have any problem delegating some of this shit to other people."

As if a string was attached to her head, Sakura lifted it slowly, her eyes meeting his, wide and expectant. For just a moment, she stared at him. Naruto could see the intention in her face, knowing she wanted to say something so badly. Maybe, just maybe, he wanted her to say it too.

"This coffee is shitty," he said again, breaking the tense mood.

"Go make some more then," she said quietly, obviously still mulling over his comment.

"So what really happened?"

"Hm?"

"Kakashi? I was pretty sure you two were on the way to the bed Olympics by your intense '_need sex now'_ smell, so what happened?" Naruto took a sip of the cool brown mixture and sneered.

Sakura's head tipped back on her new leather chair as she slumped down, her eyes rolling to the window to look at the cloud-dappled sky where the birds were enjoying their freedom. She breathed out a long slow breath. "He had a mission. That's all. There's no great story to tell. He had a few bites of dinner and talked about his travels, then he left."

"Left? Just on a mission though, right? He'll be back, won't he?" Naruto's voice was uncharacteristic of his solemn self in the last few years, and Sakura could hear the expectant sixteen year old through his smile.

"I don't know. He was supposed to just be gone for the night. He's been gone two now. Maybe…maybe he just…oh, shit, maybe he's just _gone_. He was trying to leave ever since he showed up anyway."

Sakura leaned back over her paperwork and crumpled a paper tightly in her right palm where Naruto couldn't see it. She could feel his disappointment radiating as boldly as her own.

* * *

Kakashi stood in a tree and watched Genma filling his small canteen at the side of a cool blue river at the border. The mission had been long and boring and Kakashi surmised that Genma just wanted to hang around together, bringing Raido along to throw the copy-nin off the scent of the ruse. A simple "information gathering" mission.

Well, Kakashi should have warned Genma that you can't fool an information gatherer with a fake information-gathering mission. He supposed there was some merit in it, but genin could have performed it. Then again, peace was a wonderful constant throughout the five countries in the last few years, so he supposed it was worth seeing some of the land again before he left for his regular route in the Northern region.

But leaving was going to be a little harder than he expected. Even walking out of dinner the other night with Sakura's forlorn face and half-hearted goodbye made him want to turn around and stay for a while. He was attached to her. Add the attraction and it made things that much more difficult to leave.

What if he walked away now to the North? Would he regret that he didn't spend a night with her? It wouldn't be the first time he looked back on a woman with regret. And then would a night lead to more?

He'd never intended to stay longer than a night, two at the most, and now look, it was coming up to a week. But Naruto still required a little nudging in the right direction and Sakura needed her future back, whether it included him at all or not.

"All right, Genma. I need to get back," Kakashi finally burst the bubble of male bonding his friend had artfully created.

Genma stood up and turned around, grinning ear to ear around his senbon. "Yeah. I need a shower and a drink. What do you say we make for Konoha and after a quick clean up, we'll hit the pub. I have a few sweet young things I'd like to set you up with as a welcome home gift."

Kakashi shook his head. "I can't imagine any of the women you would introduce me to could even…" Then he paused. He was going to say, "Could even compare to the Hokage," but realized what was coming out of his mouth and felt a little perturbed that he was two days past what he finally knew he wanted. "Shit. I have other things I need to do tonight and I would have been doing them two nights ago if you hadn't dragged my ass all the way out here."

"What could be better than a night with me, lots of drinks, and some loose women?"

Kakashi huffed out a small laugh. He was positive he had a very good answer for that.

* * *

Sakura paced.

Sakura never paced.

The sixth Hokage had learned over the years to be patient. Waiting was hard for all intelligent creatures when anticipation was high, but for the first time since taking the lonely job, Sakura was anticipating a man. Funny enough, it made her feel empty instead of excited.

Her shoulders were aching, neck sore, back tight for a couple of days. Yes, with her exceptional ability to deny things, she chocked it up to sleeping funny, or a bad position when passing out on her bed. But even that was far-fetched.

It hurt worse when she relived the night Kakashi left.

Had he even just moved that last hair's breadth, his lips would have touched hers. What was the decision to shove a chunk of egg in his mouth based on? Did her breath smell bad? Something in her teeth? Did he want to frustrate her into going grey…like him? Did he want to tease her? Did thirty-something year old men still tease women? Tease their Hokage?

Questions rolled around in her mind since that moment he slipped out her door. But the biggest question was did Hatake Kakashi plan to return or would he just quietly slip out of their lives like he had the last time? Sakura couldn't help but dwell on it.

His report was more or less made. His duty was done and he was free to go.

And that was what made her pace. In all the hours that ticked by since he went on a mission with Genma, she wracked her brain for some order to keep him in the village. So many things crossed her mind from guilting him into taking some teacher role again, to pretty much tying him to something. Of course, the copy-nin could probably get out of any knot she could possibly make…

And so she paced.

Why was he gone so long?

The wait to find out was going to kill her.

Her heels clacked along with dull taps as she traversed the wooden floor, spun and returned.

Wood floor, wood floor, wood floor, radiator, turn.

Wood floor, wood floor, wood floor, doorway, turn.

Wood floor, wood floor, feet, wood floor…

Feet?

Sakura stop and stared at the large male feet standing near her open window. Her eyes rose slowly to see whom she'd anticipated but hadn't really expected. In that moment, she realized that she'd worried for so many more things than just him escaping to the North without a good-bye when he stood there and grinned. She worried he'd be hurt, killed, maimed, drunk, solicited, …seduced…

And try as she might, she couldn't stop the wide relieved and happy smile from crossing her pink lips.

"Why don't you ever use the door?" she asked quietly, shaking her head and putting a hand on her shoulder to try and rub out some of the tight pain that had been there for the last couple of days.

"I just got back and I haven't showered. I thought I'd spare everyone from the ground floor up." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Glad you're so happy to see me."

"I'm…" She wiped the smile from her face, feeling the renewed pain in her shoulder as she reached up to rub at it. "I thought maybe you'd just walked away again."

"I told you I would tell you before I leave. I won't just go this time," he said calmly, watching her hand tightening on her shoulder, digging in forcefully with tense fingers. "What's the matter with your shoulder?"

"Nothing," she snapped quickly. "I just slept on it funny." And it happened. All the fears she had of him just walking away laid out in her head like a picnic on a checked blanket when he alluded to the fact that he was still leaving. She was physically hurting because she thought he'd just run out of her life again. Had she pinned so much of her little happiness on him? Had her life been so devoid of pleasure that this lazy, disrespectful, albeit attractive man's teasing had been the best event for years?

_He will leave again_, her mind warned, _and you'll be much worse if you let yourself feel this way._

"I'm sorry I had to leave the other night. I enjoyed the company," he said plainly, cocking his head when she continued to rub at her shoulder and have more trouble looking him in the eye.

"It's your duty to take missions. I can't stop you from that, can I? Even as Hokage, I find I can't really stop you from doing anything you please," she said with a hint of annoyance, her fingers moving to the back of her neck. "It's infuriating that you won't respect me. I'd order you to stay and you'd leave. I'd order you to do a job and you'd blow it off. Even Naruto listens to an extent. Why can't you?"

"I don't believe you've given me any real orders, Sakura. You summoned me back, and I'm here. I chose to show you my face. That's it. What do you really want me to do? What would be the point of ordering me to stay?"

Kakashi's eyebrow raised and Sakura felt tested. His question was a valid one, and as Hokage, she didn't have an answer. He wasn't needed in the village or the ninja ranks. Peace prevailed in the five countries and only small skirmishes ever happened. There were tons of young ninja who could handle any situation and Kakashi had given his entire life in service and deserved to have what he wanted.

He deserved to have everything he wanted.

But as Haruno Sakura, she had an answer to that question. She wanted him to stay and explore the burgeoning feelings she was having for him. For two days, she'd tried to make sense of them, seeing them like a burning spark of desire wrapped up in familiarity and safety. There was always something inherently safe about being in his presence ever since she experienced her first day as a ninja – which he was there for too. She couldn't remember the last time she wanted something so badly for herself – just for herself.

And Naruto. He needed Kakashi too, as a mentor, as a father, as a friend and someone to kick his ass into gear as no one else had been able to. The tiny changes she'd seen over the last week in Naruto had all been the result of some carefully chosen words by their old Sensei. Why was it when Kakashi said it, Naruto understood?

Perhaps Kakashi was a change in the broken record or a hitch in the constant wheel that turned in the same direction endlessly for both of them. He was the breath of fresh air or the new step in the dance.

And there he was, asking her for a reason that she couldn't present, because her reasons weren't fair to him. They were purely selfish and she knew it. How she wanted to be selfish for a change.

But one day, if it were possible to make him stay, would he hate her for it?

That would be harder to bear than him leaving - she liked to believe anyway.

"What does it matter? I could order you until I'm blue in the face and you'd ignore it. Go on back to the North Country and walk until your feet turn purple. I really don't care. You're right, Kakashi, You've done what you were asked to come and do, so go back to your carefree life. You aren't needed here," she harangued with tightly crossed arms and a hollow feeling in her stomach. Her old defence mechanism kicked into high gear and she pushed hard, emotionally and mentally, against every thing she wanted.

Again, her hand went up to her neck and she pressed her nails into the biting pain that was threatening to go into her head.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," he said evenly.

"It's not like you were planning anything different, were you?" she spun on her heel and headed back to her chair.

"I had a bit of a plan when I arrived, yes, so I suppose that's as good a plan as any as nothing else has come up. Consider this my notice then, Hokage-sama," he said bluntly.

"At least call me Sakura before you…leave," she started to admonish, but petered out when she realized he was already gone.

Just like that. So very Hatake Kakashi. His empty space and his cool words lingering in the heavy air were all that he would leave her with again.

The only change in the routine this time was that she felt her eyes burning with hot tears. The Hokage shouldn't cry, not for something selfish, she told herself, but it didn't matter. How had she become so desperate for a connection with him in such a short time?

* * *

Thank you so much to the ones who reviewed. I want to tell you that I appreciated your feedback so much. It ended up stretching out so there is at least one more. I didn't realize I had written so much.


	4. The End of the Circle

The Ronin and the Queen

Chapter 4 - The End of the Circle

* * *

"Sensei…" Naruto shot at Kakashi from a tree limb as the older ninja strolled by, a hand in one pocket and the other on his pack. "You need a shower, man. I could smell you three hours ago before you even crossed the second boundary around the village," he laughed.

"Ah, I'm a little ripe," Kakashi responded evenly, continuing to walk.

"I smell Sakura on you, but only a little. You went to see her stinking like that?"

"Hm," Kakashi said quietly.

"But you didn't touch her."

"What do you want, Naruto?" Kakashi asked as he continued to walk, ignoring the young man as he hit the ground nearby and wandered behind.

"I just wondered if she's in a better mood. I've been hanging out with her for a couple of days and she's bitchy," Naruto chuckled, sidling up to his old Sensei and joining his pace.

Kakashi glanced sideways. "She's probably a little worse now."

"Well, she's got a rough life. I feel a little responsible for that. I haven't been much of a support for her for a long time," the blond said quietly, stuffing his own hands down into his pockets and watching the pebbles in the dirt as his feet carried him along. "I don't really know how I got like that."

"I suppose you are responsible, Naruto. I'm glad you know that. Maybe one day, you can take her place as we all still hope and expect you to, and you'll be the great leader we know you to be. Then she can give up her obligations and become what she always dreamed of being, which if I remember correctly was a medic and a ninja."

Naruto's eyes narrowed and Kakashi's eyebrow raised in response as both men stopped.

"You don't mince words eh, Sensei?" Naruto grumbled.

"Would it be better if I absolved you of what you know to be true? I'm not here to hold your hand. You;re probably the strongest ninja that I have ever come across in my lifetime. And that's saying something as I've collected thousands of jutsu from thousands of people. Our sparring session told me that probably without even using a drop of chakra, you could defeat any chuunin level ninja in any way. Add a minute bit of your gigantic energy and you'd defeat any elite without breaking a sweat. You know this. I can see in your face, you know."

"So? What does that…?"

"It means that you are wasting your life. You're supposed to be Hokage. Even you know that and you're dragging your feet. I never imagined you of all people would give up."

"Sakura is a good Hokage. I don't need…"

"Good Hokage or not, she didn't take it because she wanted to. I had never heard her even express minute interest to become that even once. She knew, just as I knew, it was your purpose."

"I can't just…take over, you know."

Kakashi shook his head. "You went on a mission the other night, right? I saw your name on the roster. How did it go?"

"Good. Great actually. I enjoyed…"

"Exactly. You don't have to do things now, but you can ease into it. You're young, Naruto, so you have time. You've been hanging around the tower with Sakura and you've been sliding slowly into a better routine so does it seem so impossible that in time, your interest in the things you used to want more than anything won't be rekindled?"

Naruto stared at him with large blue eyes. Kakashi could see Minato in every twitch of his lips, every sideways glance and every run of a hand through his blond hair. How would the boy have been different if Minato had lived? In his own life, Kakashi knew how much influence Minato had. It was Kakashi's duty to put some of that influence toward his son whom he gave everything up for.

But Kakashi knew in the end it was a worthy sacrifice by his old Sensei, and decided he would tell Minato when he visited the memorial before he left town.

"I feel like it's still there, the desire, but…"

"That's enough then. You're on the right track. Just follow it. And rely on Sakura. She wants exactly the same things."

Naruto nodded. "You're sounding a little final, Sensei. Are you leaving?"

Kakashi breathed in, feeling the elastic stretch of his chest as he tried to find the right mix of words to impart something and make Naruto smile before he left, but it wasn't to be.

"I'm leaving."

"You know, you said Sakura wants exactly the same things as me. And I think you're right, Sensei. We both want you to stay for a while. I just think our reasons are different. I don't know if I've told you but…she has trouble asking for things for herself. She's a selfless person. Quite a change from the younger version, huh."

Kakashi smiled under his mask, proud that Naruto was the man he had become and that somehow Kakashi might have had a hand in it. He could see that Naruto would be a good Hokage, and even at the age of twenty-two, he knew the right things to say to people – just like his father did.

"I know she does. Tell her that I said good-bye and that I'm proud of you both."

Naruto's face displayed his inner feelings with the down turned corners of his mouth as they two men fell into step toward Kakashi's apartment.

* * *

"What on earth is that smell?" Shizune asked as she strolled into Sakura's office with the mail and some hospital charts.

"Kakashi…" Sakura replied to the paper on her desk that bore some really deep pen marks and very few actual letters.

"Seriously?" Shizune laughed but caught Sakura's face looking still slightly red from crying. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Sakura said with a minute bite.

Shizune had watched the change in the Hokage over the last few days, just as she had seen Naruto change. Obviously Kakashi's presence had been a determining factor. Sakura smiled more, worried more, paced, preened and stared at the window more. The moment the Hokage's head fell on Kakashi's shoulder at the bar, Shizune knew that the woman was showing her reliance on the man. Sakura never showed reliance on anyone so it was quite astonishing. She'd forgotten the bond of being in a team and thought of Tsunade for a moment.

"He must have come here before going home to shower after he returned, huh?" Shizune continued as she wandered to the window and cranked it open a little more.

"Hm," Sakura said absently.

"I don't know many ninja that would do that. I remember getting back from a couple of days in the woods, checking in at the gate office, and then practically running for my shower."

Sakura only added a consonant to her breath this time but Shizune could hear that her rough pen scratches had ceased.

With a smile, as she stared out at the peaceful village, Shizune said plainly, "He must have had something really important to tell you. Did he have some information? I mean, what would make him come here immediately like that?"

Shizune turned to find Sakura staring up at her with wide green eyes.

"Hokage?"

"Shit," Sakura mumbled. "Shizune, I have to go out for a while. These mission reports need to be…"

"I'll take care of them."

"I can't ask you to do that."

"Of course you can. Besides, I'll just get Kotetsu to do them. Just go. We'll deal with anything that comes up." Shizune couldn't help her telling smile as the flustered Hokage stood up from her desk and tipped a stack of papers over.

"Damn it. Just leave those there and I'll get them later…" Sakura shouted as she flew out the door.

Shizune laughed outright and wandered over to pick up the papers that were strewn about the wooden floor. "'bout time."

* * *

Sakura hurried along the sidewalks, waving a tense hand to the people that greeted her and shouting apologies to the ones who wanted to steal some time. Right now, she didn't have a moment to spare. He could have already left. He could be walking out the gate.

"What's the hurry?" Naruto shouted from the same tree he was stretched out in when he'd seen Kakashi pass by under earlier.

"I have to stop…I mean…I need to see…" Sakura's wide gaze found him among the leaves.

"I wondered if you'd come to your senses," Naruto laughed.

"I can't talk right now," she breathed out, her eyes shifting from him to the road she wanted to continue down.

"Don't worry. He's still in his apartment. I walked him there just a little while ago. Hurry and you can catch him in the shower," he laughed and then stopped abruptly. "Wow, your skin got warmer over just that."

"Shut up!" she shook a fist at him and continued on.

"Tell him I said you're welcome!" Naruto shouted after her.

Taking the steps by twos, Sakura climbed the three flights to Kakashi's tired little apartment and stood at the door. Timidly, she knocked and waited, her fingers shaking and body warm.

It hadn't occurred to her what she would say when she was face to face with him, but she was there now and hoped it would just come to her.

When the door didn't open, she turned the handle to find it unlocked, easing it open and poking her head in. "Ka…kashi?"

The sound of a running shower met her ears and she blushed hotly but didn't back out. Instead she slid into the small bachelor apartment where everything was crammed neatly into one tiny room except the shower which he was now probably standing naked in.

The door was cracked – obviously there would normally not be a need for him to shut it in his own apartment. Sakura felt that tight line of pain shooting through her shoulders and neck, and her fingers clenched and unclenched.

Looking around, she found his bag open on the desk and a few odds and ends around it like books, some weapons, his holster, mask and a few other trinkets.

Walking around, still hearing the shower, she shuffled quietly over to his dresser to slide open the top drawer. Boxers lay in a small neat pile and some tidy rolled wrappings sat in rows. "Nice," she said quietly, figuring him not to be a brief man. In her fantasies, the man always wore boxers and in the morning, she would slip them on to make coffee in – and nothing else.

Moving to his small bookcase, she ran her finger along volume after volume of Icha Icha paradise books as well as some classics. Weapons manuals and technical manuals on fighting and war strategies were in a neat row and then some pictures finished off the space. The same picture of team seven sat on her mantle in her small apartment that she still retained and hoped she'd go back to one day. Another picture of Kakashi's team when he was a boy sat beside that, and another of what she presumed were his parents and he as a baby. His father had the tell tale hair and his mother had the same smile.

Moving on to his two cupboards, she opened them to find a half can of instant coffee, three cups of instant ramen and a can of weapon oil. The fridge had a pile of vegetables, eggs and some soymilk, and his sink was immaculately clean.

The last stop she made was his bed. The small single bed she would expect a child to sleep in was under the window with a clock on the ledge behind hit and a shuriken-patterned blanket on top.

She had to laugh. It was like the apartment a boy might have. Sakura half expected to see pictures of bikini-clad women on the walls. Maybe he'd grown out of that phase long ago. Then again, Kakashi was not a waster or a lover of material things. If something were useful, he would most likely keep it forever – like his books, like his boyhood blanket, like a half can of instant coffee.

She sat down on the bed and ran her hands over the blanket, feeling how it was supremely soft from a lifetime of washing. The cleaning lady she'd hired must have still been doing a good job because the clean sheets smelled like fabric softener.

Feeling a little foolish, Sakura pressed her feet on the floor and bounced her behind up and down on the mattress. It was thick and comfortable, worn in and made no sound at all when she moved on it. She pulled the pillow into her lap and ran her hands over the smooth, crisp cotton, then lifted it to her nose to smell it.

Again she felt that pang of desire with just a touch of his scent drifting into her senses.

"I can lend you that if you want?" Kakashi's voice startled her enough to make her throw the pillow down to the end and jump up from his bed. His chuckling met her ears and she felt her face turn red.

"I'm…sorry," she breathed out. "You were in the shower and I didn't want to miss you."

"You didn't want to miss me in the shower?"

"Yeah…I mean no! I mean… Why do I get like this with you?" she whined. "I wanted to see you before you left. I didn't want to leave things like that. I wanted to…explain myself."

Kakashi's chin dipped in a quick nod of understanding, and he lifted the back of towel he had draped around his bare damp shoulders to rub the back of his silver hair to dry it a little more. He had smelled her the second she had entered the apartment - that heady scent of desire already mingling into the sweet aroma of her lavender cream and her sensual perfume. He wondered if she had any idea what that scent could do to any man.

Her eyes traced his naked torso, not stopping when she reached the top of his black jogging pants. He knew from the quiet taps of wood on wood that she'd been snooping through his belongings. Must have seen the boxers, he laughed to himself as he snapped the towel off and tossed it on the desk chair, her eyes following it.

"I'm just going to brush my teeth and finish up, but I'll keep the door open to listen," Kakashi said with a calm tone.

Sakura nodded sheepishly and it gave him a small appreciation for how she would become a demure woman around him when he knew she was as powerful as they come. Peeling his eyes off her, he sauntered back into the bathroom, only needing to turn his head to see her.

Sakura sat back down on the bed and sighed. "Um. Well, when you came to see me, I wasn't myself. I really thought you'd left without saying goodbye, Kakashi. I wanted to apologize for being so abrupt. I guess I've enjoyed your company more than I sho….I mean, I like….having…you…"

It was harder than she'd imagined.

Kakashi smiled at himself in the mirror. Maybe he was torturing her a little bit, but even the tone of her voice was calling to him. Everything about her was arousing now, even her anger, even her shyness when confessing.

He stood at the door frame, an arm cocked against it. He angled his head.

"But you haven't had me yet," he interrupted her uncomfortable stumble over her words.

"Wh…what?"

Instantly a red tint ran up from where her red shirt came to a v just above her breasts. Her cheeks were flushed, and her green eyes were wide, eyebrows up.

"You said you like having me, but you haven't had me yet, so how do you know?"

"Oh God, Kakashi. Please don't play with me," she breathed out, her chest rising and falling, her hand digging into her tight shoulder. "I don't think I could take it right now."

Kakashi took a few steps until he was right in front of where she sat on the bed. "I think we both want to play a little, don't we?"

Sakura felt her body leap to arousal, aware of his hot damp skin next to her, and the sensual way his wet hair fell thickly over his forehead. His red eye gleamed as it stared into hers, and the smile she'd seen on his mother's face raised just a little higher on the right side in a cocky way.

"Are you…sedu…?"

"Seducing you? Yes. I think I am. So be quiet and let me get to it," he said with a hint of force.

If Sakura wasn't already sitting down, then she felt her trembling knees wouldn't have held her up. As it stood now, if her heart beat any faster, she feared she might actually pass out right on her bed, and that would be the worst moment of her life if she missed what was coming.

"Let's see to that shoulder first, hm?" he said quietly, putting a knee on the bed and sliding his strong hands over her shoulders. The first knead of his palms against the tight muscles made her hiss, but the next few made her release the stiff shrug she seemed to be holding.

Gently, he worked on her, pressing his strong fingers in at just the right places, making her hum with comfort and relief. He moved one of her long ponytails so he could put a firm hand on the back of her neck and knead there, going into her hairline and back down again.

"Better?" he asked.

"Much," she responded with a whisper, her eyes closed.

"Good, good."

And before she realized what he was doing, his mouth was where his fingers just were. She felt him shift onto the bed so that he was sitting behind her, and again, he gently moved her hair out of his way to press his hot mouth to the back of her neck.

Sakura tipped her head to the left to expose the long line of her throat to him, and Kakashi obliged by moving to the spot just below her ear. His hand moved over her shoulder on the other side and he held her face gently. When his mouth caressed her ear and his talented tongue slide inside, tingles of pleasure ran up and down her body.

She gasped softly and he stopped.

For a moment she froze but then his soft voice spoke next to her ear from behind her.

"I'm going to take your clothes off now, Sakura. But I'm not going to rush. You won't be leaving for a while."

She made a breathy noise, unable to contain her arousal or how struck she was with the idea that he was taking charge. No one ever told her what to do. But he could. She would do anything he said at that moment.

Again his mouth went to her throat and devoured the skin there, his tongue flicking over her pulse, his teeth grazing the lovely curve between her neck and shoulder. She felt the strong throb between her legs and Kakashi made a low sound of approval in the back of his throat in response to it.

Like Naruto, she imagined he could tune into the fluctuation of the bodies reactions like her heart pounding, her skin warming, perhaps the scent of her arousal.

Kakashi's fingers were tugging her shirt out of his way so he could press open-mouthed kisses into the soft skin but again he stopped. His hands slid around her waist achingly slow, pressing trails over her until they slid upwards to hold her just below her breasts. His hot breath tickled the back of her neck when he spoke.

"You smell good," he breathed. "Your skin is hot."

She nodded a little, finding the words to respond catching in her throat as his fingers moved just a little higher.

"I could eat you," he whispered and she shivered.

She moaned softly, and her head tipped back to fall on his shoulder. Finally, finally, they would be together in a way she'd been imagining for days.

She could get used to this, she thought.

* * *

Morning rose and Sakura sat up quickly, realizing that she'd indulged in Kakashi until the small hours of the night, falling asleep and waking up in his tiny bed. She understood why he liked the mattress so much because if one of them shifted away, the other would end up on the floor. So whenever she woke briefly, she'd find his warm body against hers and his arm tucked under her side keeping her as close as humanly possible.

But now the sunlight was shouting through the window and she gaze at the clock. Six twenty one am. The panic suddenly died out and she realized she had about an hour before she'd really have to get up and move. It was so hard to imagine leaving that warm comfortable spot and for the first time in six years, she admitted to herself that she hated being the Hokage. Never would she breathe it to a soul, but it was there, spoken in her head now and would never be quiet again.

Rolling away from Kakashi's hot skin, Sakura leaned over the side of the bed and dug around in the pile of clothing for his pants. Then with a devious smile, she tugged on his white cotton boxer shorts with the blue pinstripes, and wandered into the small bit of area she would expect to be the entire kitchen.

She stretched out, lifting her arms above her head and feeling a fraction of the tense muscle that sat in her neck and shoulder. Supposing she would be Hokage forever, she expected that little bit of tension would always be there.

Shaking the old electric kettle on the counter, Sakura found it had some water so she flicked it on and hugged her bare arms over her breasts. The floor was cold under her bare feet and she shivered a little.

When the kettle snapped off, Sakura found a mug hanging in a cupboard and pulled out the instant coffee. Maybe it was six years old, but what the hell, she thought. She needed coffee to wake up today after the wonderful lack of sleep. Pouring out the hot water into the mug, she picked it up and hugged it to her front to feel the heat radiate to her hard breasts.

"Cold?" Kakashi asked from his bed.

Sakura turned a little with a smile, hoping he'd been awake and hoping he'd been watching her. Strolling through his apartment in his boxers was so much more satisfying if he enjoyed it too for some reason.

"I am," she said quietly.

Kakashi's eyes wandered her mostly naked body, enjoying the way she looked and the comfort she exuded with being naked in front of him.

"Come back to bed then."

"I need to get ready for work," she sighed. "If I get in that bed, I won't make it."

Kakashi smirked. She was right because watching her like that was getting him off.

"All right."

"Hey…uh…today…what are you…planning?" she asked timidly.

"I might sleep. Maybe eat. Might find Naruto. Other than that, no plans." Kakashi sat up and stretched his long lean body before rubbing a hand through his messy hair and yawning. "And before you ask. No plans to leave just yet."

Sakura smiled and took a sip of the coffee, then leaned over the sink and noisily spit it out. "Damn, that's awful."

With a laugh, Kakashi relayed, "I think it's older than I am."

* * *

The next two weeks flew by in a blur between working daily, doing some training with Naruto because he'd shown more interest in learning lately, and then meeting with Kakashi at night to have dinner, drinks and nights in her bed or his – it was always his choice.

But Sakura recognized Kakashi was restless. There were no real missions and no duties for him, and twice he'd left in the morning and returned the next morning after spending some time alone in the forest.

For the most part, he wasn't happy. When they were together, it was blissful, but for the other hours in the day, he was a satalite.

Naruto sat in the Hokage chair working on some building plans for Tenzou while Sakura stared out the window into the crisp blue sky. When the knock came at the door, she already knew whom it was. She'd been expecting it for a couple of days but until that moment, had fooled herself into thinking it wouldn't come.

Kakashi entered, his head a little lower and shoulders slumped a little more than normal; he didn't have to say anything.

"When?" she asked quietly, Naruto looking up as well with a solemn look on his face.

"Tomorrow morning," he replied calmly.

Sakura didn't want to cry in front of Naruto, but she couldn't help it.

And Kakashi surprised her by moving across the room to her and holding her right then and there.

* * *

The morning he left, Naruto sat with Sakura on top of the Hokage monument and watched the village go about the daily routine. The sun was high and hot enough to wear t-shirts. It was a perfect day for Kakashi to walk away as the weather would make it easier to get further away that much faster.

Sakura had managed not to cry because it would only make it harder for him. Somehow she always knew he would leave and understood that they all deserved to have what they wanted – even if it was hard on someone else. It wasn't right to force him to stay in a half-life, even for them.

They'd spent a long night awake together in his small apartment just like they had that first time, and she appreciated that he asked her to see him off.

Now, an hour after he was gone, Naruto slung his arm loosely around Sakura and let her lay her head on his shoulder.

"He'll be back," Naruto assured gently. "When I'm Hokage, I'll make him come back."

"Then hurry up and become Hokage because I don't know if I can wait," she whispered before the tears came again.

"Just a little longer," he breathed against the top of her head. "I promise, Sakura-chan."

* * *

Naruto made good on his promise, and Sakura stood in the crowd during the long awaited inauguration. She was proud of him. It took six years to get to that point in time and they'd all wasted so much time getting there.

She would love to have claimed some responsibility for getting Naruto to change, but she knew it was Kakashi's doing.

The seventh Hokage looked out over the crowd wearing the hat and the robe she'd stood up there and wore six years before. It suited him so much more than it ever suited her. And in that moment, she recalled Ino asking why she looked so unhappy about it on her own inauguration day, but Sakura's tight throat prevented her from answering.

Naruto positively beamed, and for the first time in the three months since Kakashi had left, Sakura suddenly felt happy. She was free. She could go to the hospital, take the odd mission if one came up and perhaps join ANBU, which wasn't very busy these days.

The world was open to her now.

Naruto lifted a hand to her and winked, and Sakura waved back. Then the blond focused on something else in the crowd and laughed to himself while the villagers cheered and shouted his name. It was a poignant moment for both of them and she'd always remember it.

As the crowd began to disburse after the celebration, Sakura stood in the same spot and stared at the spires atop the building, remembering the day Kakashi came back and stood there with her while she had that vanilla coffee. It suddenly struck her to go and get another, maybe slip up there and think about him, immerse all her senses in triggers for that lovely memory.

As she took the first step, a hand slid around her waist, and startled, she whipped around to find herself face to face with a black mask and silver hair.

"Wh…What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't miss this, could I?" Kakashi responded, his eye creased with his overly happy grin.

"No, I guess you should be here since it's your doing," she said with a strange mixture of happiness and loss, and then pressed her face to his shoulder. "How long are you here for?"

"Just the night," he said quietly, holding her tight enough to slide her head under his chin. "Stay with me?"

"Let's go see Naruto, then we can go anywhere you want," Sakura said, fighting the tears and sniffing against his chest.

* * *

They went to the reception and congratulated Naruto heartily, though Naruto kept a wary eye on Sakura as she looked close to tears half the time. She clung to Kakashi as if afraid to lose him, and both men understood that reasoning.

When they were finished at the reception, they walked silently to the small apartment she'd moved back into and sat on the floor in front of the fireplace while she drank wine and he drank whiskey. And then they spent a few hours together in bed before they fell asleep.

It was a perfect good-bye to Konoha, Kakashi felt with a hint of sadness, but things had turned out right in the end and he had no regrets now.

* * *

The breeze blew softly in the trees, the rustling like a melody, and Kakashi stared at the border of the Fire Country and beyond, knowing it would be another two days of travelling before he reached the familiar stretch of kilometres that he travelled along almost endlessly. It was a satisfying existence, but he felt he should return back more than every six years.

It was a pleasure to see Naruto grow to his role and become the Hokage. The circle was complete and he was no longer necessary in it. It gave a certain amount of freedom.

Standing up on the branch he had been crouching on, Kakashi tugged his hat down a little more over his sharingan and smiled.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

Sakura shouldered her heavy pack and stretched up to stand on the branch next to Kakashi.

"I'll follow you anywhere," she said sincerely and slid her hand into his.

Yes, the circle was complete and he'd never been happier to be a part of it.

* * *

Thanks for reading. Something a little different I guess, but all's well in the end. Thanks to the people that reviewed. I appreciate that you let me know how you liked it.


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